Writing Advice

From Writer's Relief staff: It’s hard to be patient when you’ve sent out a query letter and still haven’t heard back from your literary age...

Is it possible to write a best-selling novel simply by following a formula?

From Writer's Relief staff: In the tradition of David Letterman’s Late Show Top Ten, the submission strategists at Writer’s Relief want to shar...

In short, pithy essays, Celia Blue Johnson recounts how the simplest moments -- a trip, an odd job -- inspired some of the most beloved classics of Western literature. I talked with her to hear more about these fascinating accounts.

For me, writing novels is an arachnid process: novels are spun into intricate webs out of the silk in my gut. It's work. It's hard. But, to mix metaphors, it's not all pushing a rock uphill.

From Writer's Relief Chances are that you’ve technically been writing since you learned to write the alphabet on goofy, oversized lined paper bac...

If your résumé sports typos, what's the potential employer going to think? That you're suddenly going to pay more attention to detail once you get the job? Probably not.

Aspiring authors are sometimes willing to shell out thousands for writing workshops and MFA programs, but according to Kurt Vonnegut, the late politic...

Unfortunately, many would-be memoirists stumble on the same writing hurdles: if only it wasn't so tough to begin, figure out a plot line, recreate conversations you had five months or five years ago, and keep it all interesting until arriving at "the end."

From Writer's Relief staff: Writers who are in the process of submitting their work to agents and editors tend to worry about idea theft. How m...

Our friends at the online literary community Figment, have launched Figment Daily Themes, a free email service designed to help subscribers get into t...

I'm a writer, and I'm in love with Twitter. For the longest time I couldn't explain why I am so enamored with a platform which limits me to only 140 characters. And last night it dawned on me. Twitter makes me a better writer.

After my second book, Pharmacology, a few people have asked what my process was. Got me thinking about everything goes into writing one of these beasts.

From Writer's Relief: The writing life is fraught with dangers big and small—everything from life-crushing depression to sore fingers from long t...

From Writer's Relief staff: We all know certain foods contribute positively to your physical health, and some foods contribute positively (in inche...

When you sit down to scribe a killer essay or your take on The Great American Novel, do you usually wind up with a headache, a blank page and a disenc...

National Novel Writing Month, a task urging authors of all backgrounds to pen 50,000 words before November 30th, is halfway over. We've already asked ...

Writers young and old, published and un-, are striving towards their goal of scribing 50,000 words by the end of November as National Novel Writing Mo...

National Novel Writing Month is a web-based writing "challenge" which challenges participants to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. NaNoWriMo counsels participants to understand that "You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing."

Coincidence lacks conflict. Sure, they occur in our lives every day, but in a story, coincidences are generally a problem.

There's a village in my computer -- friends, fans, readers, and colleagues. It's a populous, sometimes chaotic little burg always bustling with news, gossip, opinions and potential excitement.

The Postmistress offers an inimitable blend of World-War-II-era history, stunning heroines and a very different look at the power of how we once communicated versus how we communicate today.